(VIDEOS WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES IN EXTENDED ARTICLE)
U.S. and Israeli officials on Wednesday slammed remarks by the Palestinian president about the causes of 20th century anti-Semitism in Europe.
In rambling remarks that were part of a lengthy speech to the PLO parliament in Ramallah on Monday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said it was the Jews’ “social function,” including money-lending, that caused animosity toward them in Europe, citing what he said were books by Jewish authors.
Abbas also said that Jews do not have a historical connection to the land of Israel.
“Israel is a colonial project that has nothing to do with the Jews,” and the “Europeans wanted to bring the Jews here to preserve their interests in the region.”
1/3 PA President Mahmoud Abbas: Holocaust, Massacres of European Jews Due to Their Function in Society as Usurers Hitler Struck a Deal with the Jews pic.twitter.com/qAkCvH8SzL
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 2, 2018
Abbas, who called his speech a “history lesson,” also indicated that Adolf Hitler Y”MS facilitated the immigration of Jews to Israel. He claimed that the German leader cut a deal with the bank known today as Israel’s Bank Leumi, to allow Jews who moved to what was then British-controlled Palestine to transfer all their assets there through the bank.
2/3 PA President Mahmoud Abbas: Hitler Struck a Deal with the Jews pic.twitter.com/uV6Qsl3dJR
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 2, 2018
On Wednesday, the U.S. ambassador to Israel, as well as Israel’s prime minister, lashed out at Abbas over his remarks.
PM Netanyahu said “Abu Mazen (Abbas) gave another anti-Semitic speech. With utmost ignorance and brazen gall, he claimed that European Jews were persecuted and murdered not because they were Jews but because they gave loans with interest.
“Abu Mazen again recited the most contemptible anti-Semitic canards. Apparently, the Holocaust-denier is still a Holocaust-denier.
“I call on the international community to condemn Abu Mazen’s severe anti-Semitism; the time has come for it to pass from the world.”
“Abu Mazen has reached a new low,” Ambassador David Friedman tweeted early Wednesday, referring to Abbas by his nickname. “To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don’t have peace, think again.”
Abu Mazen has reached a new low in attributing the cause of massacres of Jewish people over the years to their “social behavior relating to interest and banks.” To all those who think Israel is the reason that we don’t have peace, think again.
— David M. Friedman (@USAmbIsrael) May 1, 2018
President Donald Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations Jason Greenblatt also responded to the remarks, calling them “very distressing and terribly disheartening.”
President Abbas’ remarks yesterday in Ramallah at the opening of the Palestinian National Congress must be unconditionally condemned by all. They are very unfortunate, very distressing & terribly disheartening. Peace cannot be built on this kind of foundation.
— Jason D. Greenblatt (@jdgreenblatt45) May 1, 2018
Friedman and Abbas have sparred before. In March, Abbas called Friedman a “son of a dog” in an angry rant. Friedman suggested the remark was anti-Semitic.
In a statement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the remarks were “the pinnacle of ignorance” and that the Palestinian leader was “again reciting the most disgraceful anti-Semitic slogans.”
The Palestinian president again recited the most contemptible anti-Semitic canards. Apparently the Holocaust denier is still a Holocaust denier. I call on the international community to condemn his severe anti-Semitism; the time has come for it to pass from the world.
— Benjamin Netanyahu (@netanyahu) May 2, 2018
Abbas’ office declined to comment.
3/3 PA President Mahmoud Abbas: The U.S. Behind the Arab Spring pic.twitter.com/ihyYC42YiD
— MEMRI (@MEMRIReports) May 2, 2018
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) called on European leaders and officials to cease all contact with the Palestinian leader until he apologizes for “his outrageous antisemitism and Holocaust denial”.
“For far too long European leaders have given Mahmoud Abbas the benefit of the doubt over his repeated incitement against Israel, the Jewish People and his denial of the Holocaust,” Dr. Moshe Kantor, President of the EJC, said.”“This must come to an end and he must be treated like any racist or antisemite and contact with him must cease until he apologizes.”
“It is clear what the course of action European leaders would take if this was a neo-Nazi or far-Right leader. The comments and ideology are seemingly identical so the treatment should be the same.”
“This type of language has no place on the street let alone by someone who is considered a leader and a diplomatic interlocutor,” Dr. Kantor continued. “If the Europeans leadership wants to be seen as an honest broker in the peace process and standing against antisemitism then it must do more than merely condemn these remarks.”
(AP)
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15 Responses
Read Ben Hecht’s Perfidy.
Is this where the niturei karta’niks get thier whole anti zionist shpiel from or is it the other way around?
Unfortunately Abbas opines very similarly to several of the commentators in the YWN comments. “Zionists are like Nazis, IDF are like Nazis, Israel is Apartheid….,Israeli police officers are evil, frum Jews have better ruchniyos outside of E’Y…” I’ve unfortunately heard it all from various frum commentators, and now a leader like Abbas.
i think he completely lost his mind this time
shuali since you seem to know about Ben hecht perfidy Maybe tell is actually what it says….. I don’t want anyone to think that your just repeating propaganda without reading the book.
For those who might not now the consensus of many scholars is that it is a propaganda hit piece by a radical right wing ZIONIST against the leftist Zionist establishment. FYI THE Mufti of jerusalem who didn’t want ANY jewish emigration to palistine was and avid ally of YM”S and was codinating with YM”S the final solutiion. so this is all a bunch of garbage.
I wonder why some stories are not more popular like the zionist desperate attempts to save hungarian Jewry They actually sent 32 paratroopers into Budapest in a mad desperate attempt to foment a revolt against the nazis. Some of those were killed they actually left eretz yisroel to be moser nefesh for other yidden.
Shauli – While you’re at it, read The Protocols of the Elders of Zion as well.
As I constantly say. Please put away you high emotions and read The holocaust victims accuse by Reb Moshe Shoinfeld zatza”l, perfidy from ben hecht, Min hamaytzar from Rav Michel Ber zatza”l Weismendel.Abbas is a arabian nazi, but the zionists shmr”y clearly and brazenly collaborated with the Nazis.
Fact, Yitzchok Greenbaum smr”y is the one quoted saying “One cow in Palestine is worth more than all the Jews in Europe”. He was the one in charge for the Zionist holocaust relief committee. His son Leon was a Kapo, who enjoyed killing his brethren with his bare hands. You don’t need to read the above mentioned books, Rather do a search for the words ” Kastner Halevi and read his ruling. The judge was not a chareidi, mizrachi or from the right wing.
Again, put down your emotions and know the facts
Hey “rubber lips”.
Look at history. Look at your Arab mother so we can blame her for giving birth to YOU.
Edwin Black wrote a book about the deal that Hitler Y’M’S had with the Zionists called The Transfer Agreement. It is well documented. I do not doubt that Abu Mazen is a murderous Jew Hater. However it is long past time that we had an accurate and honest accounting presented as to the circumstances surrounding the Balfour Declaration, the actual Nazi collaboration with the Zionists in terms of the transfer agreement, and the wider questions as to what led to the Holocaust. Instead we mostly have propaganda from either the Pro Israel side or the Anti Israel side.
> YTV365
“propaganda hit piece”
That also describes the alleged scholars of which you speak. But in terms of information available to Ben Hecht at the time of its writing (which was mainly the court case), the facts in the book are accurate. But his sources of information was limited. Today we know more. For example, while at the time they knew that Kastner saved one war criminal from prosecution by the American war crimes tribunal, today we know there were at least 4 such war criminals he saved from the American tribunal (some of them were met their fate from other tribunals that did not care about what Kastner had to say).
And speaking of “propaganda hit piece”, the Zionists did not send paratroopers as you claim (and do you have the names of the alleged 32?). The British sent them – the Zionists who where sent were volunteers, so you are overstating the Zionist capabilities. But just why did Kastner betray them, or at the very least opposed them, as example the famous Hannah Szenes? Seems you are claiming heroism for the Zionists for both sending the paratroopers as well as opposing the paratroopers?
If I’m not mistaken –
This is the Satmar Shita as well……………………!
Hello??? the bias of some commentators here are astounding! they neglect to mention that The Supreme Court of Israel overturned most of the judgment against Kastner in January 1958, stating in a 4–1 decision that the lower court had “erred seriously” In other words they found him innocent!!
Please explain why you left that part out???????????????
And how do the statements/actions of a few individuals define a movement
Ben Hecht Hillel Kook who did his utmost to save yidden in the holocaust WAS A ZIONIST. Gizi Fleishman who worked with R’Michoel Weissmandel to save lives was a zionist who was tortured because she didn’t divulge info about other rescue activists) So there were zionists who did good things and zionists who did bad things just like all jews. What about the non powerful non frum reform establishment in the US who thwarted attempts to save yidden. i don’t see any of your vitriol directed against them. the 32 paratroopers were zionist activits in the new yishuv. I’m not discussing who sent them. The zionist operators on the ground in Budapest realized that it had zero chance of success and would only hurt their attempts at negotiating with the Nazis to save lives. In the end some lives (NOT enough) were indeed saved by the negotiations and delaying deportations.
What is truly sad about this despicable speech by a grotesque, evil man named Abu Mazen, is that most Palestinians actually agree with him, and most Muslims throughout the world, in their hearts, believe these ideas to be true.
Let’s face the absolute truth. There will never, ever, ever, ever be peace between Israel and a so called Palestinian state. This ridiculous, obscene idea should never be spoken about again.
The ONLY answer to WORLD peace is a “Greater Israel,” known for 3000 years as “Eretz Yisrael Hashlayma.” Now, everyone can see in black and white just how sick and disturbed the Israeli left and its “Fake Peace Now” Labor politicians have become. Shame on Ha’aretz, The New York Times and all of their cultish anti-Israel followers.
maybe all the great historians can enlighten me as to how all this effects us today????
the state is here to stay bh
and is the greatest supporter of torah in the world
think about the millions upon millions they are spending to accomodate the frum people in meron
all these shitas were good till 1948
Will Abbas have the gut to repeat this speech to haShem when he speedily gets to the next world?